Blue Cheese Candied Walnut And Citrus Orzo Salad Recipes

ORZO WITH BLUE CHEESE AND WALNUTS

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil.
• Add the salt and orzo and cook until the orzo is tender and has absorbed almost all of the cooking liquid, 8 to 9 minutes.
• Stir in the butter, Parmesan and blue cheeses and walnuts.
• Serve immediately.
• * Note: To toast nuts, spread them on a baking sheet and place them in a 350-degree oven, shaking the pan occasionally, for 8 to 10 minutes. Watch carefully because nuts will burn quickly.

BLUE CHEESE ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions; drain and place in a large bowl.
• Add the arugula, bacon, blue cheese, onions and walnuts.
• In a blender, combine the first six vinaigrette ingredients; cover and process until blended.
• While procession, gradually add oil in a steady stream.
• Drizzle over salad; toss to coat.
• Serve the salad immediately.

BLUE CHEESE, CANDIED WALNUT AND CITRUS ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• 1. To make the orzo: In medium size sauce pan on medium low heat, melt butter and olive oil. Add the chopped onions and salt and pepper. Cook uncovered to soften the onions, not brown them. After about 5 minutes they will be translucent and ready to accept the orzo. Add the cup of orzo and coat with the buttery onion mixture. Add a bit more salt and pepper as orzo has absolutely no taste. Let the orzo toast a bit (2-3 minutes) and add water and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to the lowest simmer and cook 12-13 minutes. The orzo will still be a bit watery, but keep covered off the heat and all the liquid will evaporate.
• 2. While orzo is cooling, candy the walnuts. In large saucepan on medium heat add the sugar and butter. Mix to combine. Now add the nuts and coat them in the sugary liquid. Toast the mixture for about 3 minutes. Just keep an eye on the nuts as they can burn before 3 minutes. Transfer candied nuts to a piece of parchment and separate the the best you can and set them aside to cool.
• 3. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a medium size jar and shake, or just whisk everything together until it emulsifies.
• 4. To assemble the dish, combine scallions, orange segments, celery and cilantro. Now add your blue cheese and cooled orzo. If I'm making this ahead, I dress the salad with only half the dressing, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Then I dress it again right before serving time. I like the salad served at room temp, but it's still delish served cold. And don't forget to liberally sprinkle those sweet toasted walnuts on top of your salad right before serving. By the way you can make individual lettuce cups with this recipe. they get grabbed up fast tho!

JUST LIKE DEWEY'S CANDIED WALNUT AND GRAPE SALAD

Steps:

• Place baby romaine leaves in a salad bowl and top with sliced grapes, candied nuts and crumbled gorgonzola (if making your own candied nuts do this step first so they have a moment to cool).
• Whisk together orange juice, lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, garlic, basil, dijon mustard, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
• Serve dressing with salad.